Stop motion mechanism



May 12, 1931u H. McADAMs v 13805349 STOP MOTION AMECHANISM Filed March 14, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l My.' [llllllllli mmmmnil FW IN V EN TOR.

May 12, 1931. H. MCADAMS 1,805,340

STOP MOTION MECHANI SM Filed Marh 14, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN1/50k.

ATTORNEY Patented May 12, 1931 HARRY MCADMS, F MARS-ATE CITY, NEW' JERSEY STQP MOTION Application led March 14,

rlhis invention relates to improvements in stop motion mechanism.

rlhe primary object of the invention is the provision of an electrically operated stop 1 motion mechanism particularly well adapted to be used in connection with knitting machines such as set forth in my copending application Serial No. 208,483 filed July 26, 1927, for the purpose of stopping the operation of the machine when the knitting starts 5 nism and its cooperative relation upon the improved machine.

Figure 2 represents a fragmentary side elevation, partly in section, of a portion of the knitting machine, showing the shipping lever and part of the machine operating devices.

Figure 3 represents a front elevation, also partly in section, of the machine, showing the clutch details of the shipping mechanism.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the releasing mechanism of the stop mo-` tiondevice, showing more particularly how the same cooperates with a switch to throw the same open when the machine is thrown out of operation. Y

VFigure 5 'is a fragmentary sectional view showing a gravity operated switch normally held open by reason of perfect feed of yarn to the knitting machine.

Figure 6 is a View showing the switch of Figure 5 closed, for closing a circuit to throw the machine out of operation thru the stop motion mechanism.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the switch of Figure 5, showing the lJfE-CHANESIL' 1929. Serial No. 346,95.

details thereof andthe same held open by a correct feed of the yarn to the knitting machine.

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic representation the circuit comprising part of the stop motion details.

ln the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown only a preferred embodiment of the invention, the letter fr may represent the bed of the improved machine; B the needle cylinder; C the shipping mechanism. All of these parts are of usual construction, and their operation is set forth to some extent in the J. S. Crane Patent No. 397,973.

@n the machine, the main driving shaft 10, shown in Figure 3, is provided. 0n the shaft 10 is secured a clutch, one portion 11 of which is splined thereon as at 12. The other portion 13 is loose upon the main shaft and has formed on its surface a bevelled gea-r 14', which meshes with the gear 15, by means of which an upright shaft 16 of the machine is rotated. The shaft 16, of course, passes through the bed of the machine and is connected with the needle cylinder B, which is rotated by it. The portion 11 of the clutch has formed upon it a collar 17, with a groove circumferentially thereabout, in which is a rider 18, provided with a stud by means of which it is connected with the shipping lever 20, which is pivoted at 21 upon. the bed of the machine, as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. The connection with the rider 18 is at a. location on the lever 20 intermediate the ends of the same. rlhe lever 2O is provided with a spring 22, which draws it in a position where it will throw the clutch part 11 out of operating engagement with the clutch part 13.

A detent 25, in the form of a spring urged plunger is carried by the bed of the machine, having a depending end 26 normally urged by a portion of the stop motion mechanism l) into an obstructing relation with 9 the free yend of the shipping lever 20, tending to prevent the spring 22 from moving the shipping lever out of such releasing position. A spring 27 normally urges the detent plunger 25 upwardly above the bed of the l machine against a lever portion 29 of the stop motion device B, to be subsequently described.

Referring more particularly to details of the stop motion mechanism D, the same includes a supporting base 30, secured at 3l upon the top of the machine bed A. The lever 29 is pivoted at 32 intermediate its ends, and it includes a finger engaging portion 33 for manual operation; the spring 27 of the detent plunger' 25 urging the latter against a boss 34 below this thumb engaging piece 33, tending to rock the opposite end of the lever 29 downwardly toward the base 30. The said lever 29 at its end opposite the detent terminates in a fork, which is secured by a pivot 35 to a bell crank lever 37, which is pivoted intern'iediate its ends at 38 upon the frame 3G of the n schine, as shown in Figure l. The bell crank lever has an upward extension 54e, which is held in position by the notchei; end -i-O of a detent lever 42, which is pivoted at #.13 upon a plate 44: carried at the upper end of an adjustable standard 45. The. standard may be rigid with the base 30, as in conventional construction. The d etent lever ft2 held in position by means of a spring, if desired, but such is not deemed necessary in this improved type of stop motion meel anisin. On the supporting plate 44 is journaled a shaft 50, on supporting standards 5l, which at one end is provided with a presser foot construction 52, normally urged aga-inst the fabric or tei:- tile 53 as it is knitted upon the machine, by means of a spring 54a.

The operation of the above mechanism is well known. Should the presser foot construction 52 take into a hole knitted in the fabric 53, the spring will urge the same into such hole, moving the shaft slightly, and arm 57 on said shaft will move into engagement with the detent lever 42, throwing the retaining end 40 thereof out of position, and relieving the bell crank lever 37. The spring 27 of the detent plunger 25 will then throw the stop motion lever 29 upwardly at its outer end, since lever 29 has been released, and the shippingT mechanism will come into play, as will be well understood by those skilled in this art, to release. the clutch of the machine and throw the machine out of operation.

As a novel portion of the improved stop motion mechanism, electrically operated means is used to operate the details of the stop motion mechanism above described, upon the breaking of thread or yarn which is fed to the needles of the cylinder B. Briefly the same comprises a circuit 70, in which a battery 0r suitable source of current 7l is positioned. In this circuit is disposed a conventional electrically operated buzzer 72, the vibrating armature 73 of which operates upon the detent lever l2 of the stop motion mechanism, for the purpose of throwing the same out of retaining relation with the lever 37, upon the breaking of thread or yarn which is fed to the needles of the cylinder, for the purpose of stopping operation of the machine. This circuit 7 0 is normally held open by means of gravity operated switches 75, which are provided in any approved number consistent with the number of yarns or threads which are fed to the cylinder of the machine B. Upon the breaking of the thread or yarn the gravity operating switches 75 will be moved to close the circuit 70 and start the buzzer 72 in operation. As another novel feature of the invention a switch 77 is provided, normally closed in the circuit 70, but which is thrown open at the instant that the bell crank lever 37 is operated, upon release thereby from the detent lever 4t2, in order to open the circuit 70 and stop the vibration of the armature 73 of the buzzer 72.

As is shown in the drawings some sort of frame support 7 8 is provided, for over head support of the yarn controlled switches 75. These gravity operated yarn controlled tches are to be of novel construction. One 80, forming a part of the circuit 70 above mentioned, is securee at 811l beneath the switch frame or support 78, as shown in Figure 7 of the drawings, extending across a recess 8l in the underside ofthe support 78. The switch arm 82 of the switch construetion 75 is provided at one end with a relatively large sleeve 83, the passageway of which loosely receives the wire 8() therethrough. The free end of the switch arm 82 is normally supported by a strand of the knitting yarn 85, which cooperates with the respective switch 75; the strand of the yarn 85 being threaded for movement thru eyelets 87 and 88 carried by the support 7 8 within the recess 81. rEhe yarn is of course fed from a speel 89, to the needles of the cylinder P in approved relation. A second wire 9() forming part of the circuit 70, and shown in Figure 7, is connected at 91 on the under surface of the support 79, also extending across the recess 8l in which the switch arm 82 is pi'voted. This wire 90 frictionally supports thereon a wire coil 93, preferably of copper, of a suitable gauge that will permit the switch arm 82 to rest in the indentation between the adjacent convolutions of the coil 93, to form a good contact. The coil 93 thus forms a contact in the circuit 70, for the switch arm 82. The yarn 85 and the strand thereof which feeds between the eyelets 87 and 88 normally holds the switch arm 82 out of engagement with the coil 93, to hold the switch 75 open, as shown in Figure 5 of the drawings. Should the yarn 85 break, it is apparent that the switch arm 82 will be gravity operated to fall upon the coil 93 and close the circuit 70 through the wires and 90. All parts of the switch mechanism 75, thru which the current Hows, are preferably of copper, and may be relatively insulated with respect to each other and with respect to the support 7 9 in any manner seen fit.

Referring to the buzzer 72, the same is best shown in Figure 1 of the drawings. lt includes the usual supporting plate which is detachably mounted in spaced relation above the machine bed A by means of a substantially l-shaped bracket 101, which is detachably secured at 102 upon the bed A of the machine. The buzzer 72 furthermore includes the usual electro-magnets 104C, and the vibrating armature 73 is employed in connection therewith; wires being shown at 105 and 106 in Figure 1 of the drawings, and which are connected in the Circuit 70 as shown in the diagrammatic representation in Figure 8. The armature 73 will vibrate, in accordance with usual electro-magnetic fell or buzzer construction, and at its free end it is provided with the usual gong head 110, which operates within the opening of a lr-shaped hook head 111 on the free end of the detent lever 4t2, at the end of said lever opposite the retaining end 40 of the bell crank lever 37.

lt is quite apparent that when the circuit 70 is closed, by reason of the falling of any of the switch arms 82 to close any particular switch 7 5, by reason of breaking of one of the yarns, the buzzer 7 2 will be set into operation, and the armature 73 vibrated back and forth and operated on the hook shaped end 111 of the detent lever 12, for the purpose of moving the detaining end 10 thereof away from the bell crank lever 37, and permitting the stop motion mechanism above described to be set into operation for stopping the operation of the machine cylinder B.

The buzzer 7 2 would continue in operation after the cylinder B had been stopped, were there not some means to open the circuit 7 0 immediately after the machine cylinder had been stopped. To this end it is preferred to provide an arm 115, secured at 116 upon the upstanding portion 54 of the bell crank lever 37. The arm 115 extends substantially horizontally at the opposite side of the pivot 38 of said bell crank lever from the lever 29, and it lies beneath the linger engaging end 11'? of a switch arm 118, comprising part of the circuit opening switch 7 'i' shown in Figure 4 of the drawings, and diagrammatically in Figure 8. rlhe switch arm 118 is pivoted at 119 upon one contact 120 of the switch. The other contact 121 is engaged by the switch arm 118 when the latter is disposed downwardly upon the insulation block 122, which may be secured a 123 on the machine bed A. A spring 1211, of any approved type may be carried by the block 122 and urgesthe switch arm 118 into circuit closing relation between the contacts 120 and 121. Immediately upon bell crank lever releasing operation of the detent 42, the arm 115 will move upwardly, by reason of the detent plunger spring 27, to throw the switch arm 118 out of engagement with the contact 121, and against the action of the spring 124. |lhis opens the circuit 7() znd discontinues the operation of the buzzer Vario-us changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be made to the form of invention herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

l claim:

1. ln a stop motion mechanism, a support, a controlling lever pivoted upon the support, a detent pivoted on the support engageable with the lever releasably to hold the said lever' inoperative, said detent spaced from pivot having` an opening therein, and an electro-magnetically operated device provided with a vibratory arma-ture operatively tending into the opening of the detent so that upon closing of a circuit through the electromagnet device the armature will vibrate across the opening against the `detent for releasing' said lever.

2. ln a stop motion mechanism the combination of a supporting frame, a controlling lever pivoted between its ends upon said support, a detent lever pivoted upon its ends upon said support and at one end having a notch engageable with an end of the controlling lever for holding the latter inoperative, the said detent lever at its opposite end having a ril-shaped portion defining a recess, an electro-magnet including an armature positioned with its movable end in said recess of the detent lever so that upon actuation of the electromagnet the armature will move across said recess into abutment with the detent lever for moving the saine and releasing the controlling lever, a pivoted circuit controlling switch lever, spring means normally urging said switch lever into switch closing position with the free end of the same positioned in a cooperative relation with that end of the pivoted controlling lever remote from the detent lever connection thereof whereby upon release of the controlling lever by the detent lever, movement of the controlling lever will move the switch lever to a circuit opening position.

HARRY MCADAMS. 

